InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Longest Journey ❯ Emotions ( Chapter 4 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: kanna37 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Drama / Adventure / Action | Type: Divergence | Uploaded On: 08.29.2009 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.8K | Visits: 799 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Drama / Adventure / Action | Type: Divergence | Uploaded On: 08.29.2009 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.8K | Visits: 799 | Status: Work In Progress
A/N: I have this story mostly completed at this point, and because of that, I will be updating every day - posting two chapters at a time until the story is complete. Thanks to those who have reviewed - it is greatly appreciated!
Ja Ne,
Amber
Chapter 4: Emotions
Kagome enjoyed the walk around the shiro, although it was obvious it had fallen on hard times, it had a great deal of promise. She could just see herself redecorating it, and to her embarrassement, actually blurted that out at one point. Sugimi just smiled, and after calling for the head of the servants, instructed her to work with Kagome on the renovations of the palace.
She had, needless to say, been quite shocked.
When she questioned him, he explained that, since he did not have a mate, that job would have fallen on his shoulders, and he had far too many other things to worry about, so her assistance in this would be most welcome to him. She immediately agreed, and set a time with the pretty female youkai to meet the following morning.
Afterwards, seeing that she had begun to tire, he escorted her to a set of rooms near his, and after bidding her goodnight, left her to get some sleep.
Sleep, however, was the last thing on her mind, unfortunately. Sugimi himself was the first thing on it, and she couldn't stop her thoughts from drifting to him, no matter what she tried.
It was the strangest thing she'd ever been through in her admittedly short life. She had only met him earlier this day, and yet, it was like she'd spent lifetimes with him. She knew him, inside, where it counted, and she was pretty sure he felt the same. She'd noticed the way he just seemed to know what she would think about something, or how they both were able to frequently finish each others thoughts.
Even their tastes seemed similar. At one point, they had entered the dining area, and he'd begun to talk about how he envisioned it looking when it was finished - and damn, if she wasn't shocked speechless when it was exactly the same as she'd just been seeing it in her mind. When she'd mentioned that fact, he'd grinned and made the comment that maybe they'd been made for each other. And all she could think in return was, maybe they had.
That had scared her just a bit. Along with the fact that every time the blasted male smiled, or laughed, her body responded. It got... aroused. And that was just plain wrong. No one should have that kind of power - not even a male who looked like a god.
If she could have seen the thoughts running through the mind of the one who was taking up all of hers, she'd definitely have been aroused - and even more scared. They were sinful.
With an impatient sigh, she climbed off the futon and stood up. Walking to the door that opened into the gardens, she quietly slid it open and moved out onto the walkway that led around the courtyard. Smiling slightly, she stepped down onto the soft grass and walked over to a stone bench that sat near a small koi pond.
Sitting down at the edge of the bench, she trailed her fingers through the cool water, giggling softly at the feel of the fish nibbling on her fingertips, and once again let her thoughts wander.
This time, they wandered to Inuyasha, and her former companions. For the first time, really, since she'd left, she wondered how they were doing. She knew they all still traveled together, but beyond that...
And Kikyou, she was well aware, had joined the hunters, just as she'd known she would the moment he'd marked her. She didn't regret leaving the group - she'd needed to. There was no way she could have stayed and remained whole.
Pulling her fingers from the water, she sat up and tilted her head back, staring into the night sky with contentment. Odd, but true - she was content, at this moment, all the painful emotions she'd been subjected to for so long under Inuyasha's care were wiped away, and she could start again with a clean slate.
It felt... good.
She stood up and walked slowly along the paths through the garden, trailing her fingers lightly across the bark of a tree as she passed, just enjoying the ability to feel the simple things, the breeze through her hair, its soft touch across her face... all the little things that are so often overlooked when dealing with strong emotions were now simply enchanting to her.
Sighing softly again, she looked up as the moon came out from behind high clouds - it was a full moon, and the light shining down from it brightened up the area just enough to almost make her feel as though she was walking in an enchanted realm; the moonlight leached the color from everything, and hid the dissolute signs that the former Lord had impressed on his lands, indeed, even on his palace.
It made this night magical - and this was a truth that Kagome was all too aware of - in moonlight, even the ugliness could be hidden. Just look at Kaguya for proof of that. The moon had made her look beautiful - but the ugliness and rot hid just beyond its reach, and they had all nearly paid for that fact with their lives.
She laughed softly as she looked back down at the path at her feet. Not even two years had quite passed since that day - and now, here she was, no longer tied to Inuyasha, instead, she was fantasizing about his father. Now, if that wasn't a twist in fate, she didn't know what would qualify.
She just couldn't help it. She couldn't get him out of her mind - if she hadn't known better, she'd have been wondering what kind of spell had been put on her. But she did know better, she just didn't understand her feelings on this. It hadn't even been twenty-four hours yet, and she was already going crazy for want of the handsome Lord.
How am I ever going to get through being around him for the next several months, at least - and for that matter, she thought suddenly, as she frowned, how did I end up agreeing to travel with him, anyway? Somehow, it just came around as though it had always been that way - as though we would be together from now on, no questions asked.
How did he do that?
Sugimi watched his miko from high above, and smiled at the picture she made here in the night - here in his home. He could see that he had already had a great affect on her - but she wasn't aware yet that he was just as affected as she was. He ached for her - already. And it wasn't just lust, either. Oh, he was more than attracted to those lush curves and beautiful features, but he wanted her, not just her body.
Shaking his head with a chuckle, he thought back to that last discussion with Midoriko. She'd told him what it would mean to find his soul-mate, but he'd not really believed her at the time, hadn't understood the intensity, the sheer need, that he would feel almost immediately on meeting her.
It wasn't like he hadn't been in love before. He'd cared for his first woman, Sesshoumaru's mother, in his own way, but that union hadn't been about love, and they both knew it. Then there had come Izayoi. His eyes softened as he thought of his beautiful hime... he'd truly loved her, and when he'd found her dead at the hands of Takemaru, he'd lost all sense. After he'd brought her back, he'd happily gone to his death, chasing that bastard straight into hell.
But even that love had been nothing close to the intensity of the pull he felt to Kagome. For a moment, earlier, he'd been worried when he'd realized that she'd loved his pup, and that's why she'd been so hurt when he'd chosen another - he'd dreaded being stuck with feeling so strongly for her, and her being unable to return those emotions because her heart belonged to another. He'd breathed much easier after she'd said she no longer loved his son...
And then, he'd felt almost stupid when he realized, if she was his soul-mate, then he was hers as well... he'd had no reason to fear in the first place. She would be his, it would just take some time. And time, he had plenty of, even considering Naraku.
Naraku.
He knew that the hanyou was no threat to him. He could easily defeat him, the only thing that would take some effort would be actually finding him. From some of the things Kagome had spoken of, he'd quickly gotten the idea that the bastard was better at finding places to hide than a rat-youkai. That was where the training for his miko came in. By the time he was done with her, she'd be able to strip the hanyou of the jewel's power, and then he'd be extremely vulnerable.
All she'd have to do after that, would be to follow the shards that Naraku held, and then, his sons and the others that had sought the hanyou for so long would be able to destroy him. That was the point of all this. While he would be there, there was no way he'd let his mate-to-be out of his sight, the battle was theirs. It belonged to those he'd harmed. He would not interfere unless absolutely necessary.
So, all that said, the only things he had to focus on for the next two months, would be first, continuing to set his new home and lands to rights, second, training his miko, which really wouldn't take much, and third, and most important, courting his female. His. He grinned ferally, eyes flashing to red as his beast agreed wholeheartedly.
His.
---zZz---
Inuyasha leaned back in his tree, hands folded into his sleeves, and looked up into the sky. He was rather restless, and he knew it was because of the full moon. Sighing, he turned his gaze back to the members of his group sitting around the campfire. It had been a difficult ten months since that awful day that Kagome had died - the day he'd marked Kikyou. The others still didn't know about that... they knew it had been sometime around there, but not exactly when.
Even so, they hadn't been happy about having her with them. They'd been griefstricken over Kagome, and Kikyou's sudden appearance within the group had caused a great deal of tension that still, all these months later, hadn't entirely eased.
They were civil to Kikyou, but that was about it. There was no camaraderie as there had been when Kagome was there, and he reluctantly admitted it was because Kagome had always been the heart of their group. He'd been so stubbornly determined to get back what had been stolen from he and Kikyou, that he'd blinded himself to anything else. And now, it was too late. She was gone - permanently.
He'd begun to pull away from Kikyou a bit that very day, but it had gotten a little more noticeable over time. Yes, he still loved her, and always would, but he had finally realized that his heart was truly divided - he loved them both - and he could never have willingly given Kagome up. If she hadn't died when she had, he'd have ended up begging her to stay.
Even worse - and he'd already told Kikyou this - if Kagome was still alive, he'd be doing everything he could to convince her to allow him to mate her as well. It wasn't unheard of for a youkai to have two mates, although it wasn't necessarily a common practice. Kagome wouldn't have liked it, she'd have fought him tooth and nail, he was sure, but he wouldn't have given up. There was no way he could have... he needed her, as much as he needed Kikyou.
Kikyou had been furious, of course, but he wouldn't take it back - he really did love them both. Back in the very beginning, when Kikyou had just been returned, and he'd asked Miroku plaintively why he couldn't have them both - he'd now realized that that was truly how he felt. When he'd finally mated Kikyou, he'd known he loved her... but hadn't yet realized just how tied to Kagome he also was - until he'd sat in front of an ash-covered burial pyre and grieved desperately over a piece of green cloth. Part of him had died that day.
Then, he'd known.
Kikyou sat near the fire, thoughts on the mess she'd made of her life. Sure, mating Inuyasha had given her her life back - after all, even half of the Inu no Taisho's blood was extremely powerful, and she was glad for that - but the truth was, things hadn't turned out how she'd hoped. She really did love the hanyou, and hoped, once he'd finally mated her, that he'd put Kagome in her place, and then they could travel together, with her the winner in every way.
Unfortunately, Kagome had messed that up by dying. Spectacularly. Now, Inuyasha tells her that if Kagome were still alive, he'd want her as a mate, too. The only hope she would have, if the girl were still alive, was that Kagome would slap the hanyou and refuse such an insulting offer. That was by no means assured, however, since the girl loved him deeply, and everyone knew it.
And then there were the others in the group. It was obvious that they had adored Kagome - and equally as obvious that they did not care for her near as much. They tolerated her, nothing more. It made things fairly lonely, and awkward. It seemed that, in death, the younger miko had bound the group to her even tighter than they had been when she still lived. Kikyou sighed forlornly.
How ironic.
Sango and Miroku sat cuddled together on the other side of the fire, Shippo and Kirara curled up in their laps. Both were unhappy with the way things were now - this particular reality was extremely unpleasant. They desperately missed Kagome, and had a great deal of bitterness towards Inuyasha and his mate because of her death.
Neither of them were stupid - stupid people in this day and age didn't live for very long - and they could pretty much figure that Kagome had died defending herself from an attack that had come while the hanyou was off with Kikyou. In fact, they both privately suspected that he'd actually been busy screwing the woman when Kagome'd fought her desperate last battle, and it pained both of them beyond belief that she'd died alone, and probably heartbroken as well - they were sure she'd figured out where the hanyou was and why he hadn't come to protect her.
Knowing that, it wasn't hard to imagine that she'd ended up dying because the hurt had so overwhelmed her that she'd just given up, and not because she'd actually been defeated by the creature that'd done it. That was why they both found it almost a deserved fate that the two new mates were obviously not exactly happy. They weren't really sure what had happened between them, but whatever it was, was serious, and not just a minor spat. After all, it had been going on for months now - pretty much since the time Kagome had died.
As far as they were concerned, it was simple justice. They continued to travel together to defeat Naraku - and that was it. Once that was done, they had every intention of getting as far away from Kikyou as possible, and by extension, Inuyasha. It was too bad it had to end that way.
None of it had turned out the way they'd all thought it would.
At all.
Ja Ne,
Amber
Chapter 4: Emotions
Kagome enjoyed the walk around the shiro, although it was obvious it had fallen on hard times, it had a great deal of promise. She could just see herself redecorating it, and to her embarrassement, actually blurted that out at one point. Sugimi just smiled, and after calling for the head of the servants, instructed her to work with Kagome on the renovations of the palace.
She had, needless to say, been quite shocked.
When she questioned him, he explained that, since he did not have a mate, that job would have fallen on his shoulders, and he had far too many other things to worry about, so her assistance in this would be most welcome to him. She immediately agreed, and set a time with the pretty female youkai to meet the following morning.
Afterwards, seeing that she had begun to tire, he escorted her to a set of rooms near his, and after bidding her goodnight, left her to get some sleep.
Sleep, however, was the last thing on her mind, unfortunately. Sugimi himself was the first thing on it, and she couldn't stop her thoughts from drifting to him, no matter what she tried.
It was the strangest thing she'd ever been through in her admittedly short life. She had only met him earlier this day, and yet, it was like she'd spent lifetimes with him. She knew him, inside, where it counted, and she was pretty sure he felt the same. She'd noticed the way he just seemed to know what she would think about something, or how they both were able to frequently finish each others thoughts.
Even their tastes seemed similar. At one point, they had entered the dining area, and he'd begun to talk about how he envisioned it looking when it was finished - and damn, if she wasn't shocked speechless when it was exactly the same as she'd just been seeing it in her mind. When she'd mentioned that fact, he'd grinned and made the comment that maybe they'd been made for each other. And all she could think in return was, maybe they had.
That had scared her just a bit. Along with the fact that every time the blasted male smiled, or laughed, her body responded. It got... aroused. And that was just plain wrong. No one should have that kind of power - not even a male who looked like a god.
If she could have seen the thoughts running through the mind of the one who was taking up all of hers, she'd definitely have been aroused - and even more scared. They were sinful.
With an impatient sigh, she climbed off the futon and stood up. Walking to the door that opened into the gardens, she quietly slid it open and moved out onto the walkway that led around the courtyard. Smiling slightly, she stepped down onto the soft grass and walked over to a stone bench that sat near a small koi pond.
Sitting down at the edge of the bench, she trailed her fingers through the cool water, giggling softly at the feel of the fish nibbling on her fingertips, and once again let her thoughts wander.
This time, they wandered to Inuyasha, and her former companions. For the first time, really, since she'd left, she wondered how they were doing. She knew they all still traveled together, but beyond that...
And Kikyou, she was well aware, had joined the hunters, just as she'd known she would the moment he'd marked her. She didn't regret leaving the group - she'd needed to. There was no way she could have stayed and remained whole.
Pulling her fingers from the water, she sat up and tilted her head back, staring into the night sky with contentment. Odd, but true - she was content, at this moment, all the painful emotions she'd been subjected to for so long under Inuyasha's care were wiped away, and she could start again with a clean slate.
It felt... good.
She stood up and walked slowly along the paths through the garden, trailing her fingers lightly across the bark of a tree as she passed, just enjoying the ability to feel the simple things, the breeze through her hair, its soft touch across her face... all the little things that are so often overlooked when dealing with strong emotions were now simply enchanting to her.
Sighing softly again, she looked up as the moon came out from behind high clouds - it was a full moon, and the light shining down from it brightened up the area just enough to almost make her feel as though she was walking in an enchanted realm; the moonlight leached the color from everything, and hid the dissolute signs that the former Lord had impressed on his lands, indeed, even on his palace.
It made this night magical - and this was a truth that Kagome was all too aware of - in moonlight, even the ugliness could be hidden. Just look at Kaguya for proof of that. The moon had made her look beautiful - but the ugliness and rot hid just beyond its reach, and they had all nearly paid for that fact with their lives.
She laughed softly as she looked back down at the path at her feet. Not even two years had quite passed since that day - and now, here she was, no longer tied to Inuyasha, instead, she was fantasizing about his father. Now, if that wasn't a twist in fate, she didn't know what would qualify.
She just couldn't help it. She couldn't get him out of her mind - if she hadn't known better, she'd have been wondering what kind of spell had been put on her. But she did know better, she just didn't understand her feelings on this. It hadn't even been twenty-four hours yet, and she was already going crazy for want of the handsome Lord.
How am I ever going to get through being around him for the next several months, at least - and for that matter, she thought suddenly, as she frowned, how did I end up agreeing to travel with him, anyway? Somehow, it just came around as though it had always been that way - as though we would be together from now on, no questions asked.
How did he do that?
Sugimi watched his miko from high above, and smiled at the picture she made here in the night - here in his home. He could see that he had already had a great affect on her - but she wasn't aware yet that he was just as affected as she was. He ached for her - already. And it wasn't just lust, either. Oh, he was more than attracted to those lush curves and beautiful features, but he wanted her, not just her body.
Shaking his head with a chuckle, he thought back to that last discussion with Midoriko. She'd told him what it would mean to find his soul-mate, but he'd not really believed her at the time, hadn't understood the intensity, the sheer need, that he would feel almost immediately on meeting her.
It wasn't like he hadn't been in love before. He'd cared for his first woman, Sesshoumaru's mother, in his own way, but that union hadn't been about love, and they both knew it. Then there had come Izayoi. His eyes softened as he thought of his beautiful hime... he'd truly loved her, and when he'd found her dead at the hands of Takemaru, he'd lost all sense. After he'd brought her back, he'd happily gone to his death, chasing that bastard straight into hell.
But even that love had been nothing close to the intensity of the pull he felt to Kagome. For a moment, earlier, he'd been worried when he'd realized that she'd loved his pup, and that's why she'd been so hurt when he'd chosen another - he'd dreaded being stuck with feeling so strongly for her, and her being unable to return those emotions because her heart belonged to another. He'd breathed much easier after she'd said she no longer loved his son...
And then, he'd felt almost stupid when he realized, if she was his soul-mate, then he was hers as well... he'd had no reason to fear in the first place. She would be his, it would just take some time. And time, he had plenty of, even considering Naraku.
Naraku.
He knew that the hanyou was no threat to him. He could easily defeat him, the only thing that would take some effort would be actually finding him. From some of the things Kagome had spoken of, he'd quickly gotten the idea that the bastard was better at finding places to hide than a rat-youkai. That was where the training for his miko came in. By the time he was done with her, she'd be able to strip the hanyou of the jewel's power, and then he'd be extremely vulnerable.
All she'd have to do after that, would be to follow the shards that Naraku held, and then, his sons and the others that had sought the hanyou for so long would be able to destroy him. That was the point of all this. While he would be there, there was no way he'd let his mate-to-be out of his sight, the battle was theirs. It belonged to those he'd harmed. He would not interfere unless absolutely necessary.
So, all that said, the only things he had to focus on for the next two months, would be first, continuing to set his new home and lands to rights, second, training his miko, which really wouldn't take much, and third, and most important, courting his female. His. He grinned ferally, eyes flashing to red as his beast agreed wholeheartedly.
His.
---zZz---
Inuyasha leaned back in his tree, hands folded into his sleeves, and looked up into the sky. He was rather restless, and he knew it was because of the full moon. Sighing, he turned his gaze back to the members of his group sitting around the campfire. It had been a difficult ten months since that awful day that Kagome had died - the day he'd marked Kikyou. The others still didn't know about that... they knew it had been sometime around there, but not exactly when.
Even so, they hadn't been happy about having her with them. They'd been griefstricken over Kagome, and Kikyou's sudden appearance within the group had caused a great deal of tension that still, all these months later, hadn't entirely eased.
They were civil to Kikyou, but that was about it. There was no camaraderie as there had been when Kagome was there, and he reluctantly admitted it was because Kagome had always been the heart of their group. He'd been so stubbornly determined to get back what had been stolen from he and Kikyou, that he'd blinded himself to anything else. And now, it was too late. She was gone - permanently.
He'd begun to pull away from Kikyou a bit that very day, but it had gotten a little more noticeable over time. Yes, he still loved her, and always would, but he had finally realized that his heart was truly divided - he loved them both - and he could never have willingly given Kagome up. If she hadn't died when she had, he'd have ended up begging her to stay.
Even worse - and he'd already told Kikyou this - if Kagome was still alive, he'd be doing everything he could to convince her to allow him to mate her as well. It wasn't unheard of for a youkai to have two mates, although it wasn't necessarily a common practice. Kagome wouldn't have liked it, she'd have fought him tooth and nail, he was sure, but he wouldn't have given up. There was no way he could have... he needed her, as much as he needed Kikyou.
Kikyou had been furious, of course, but he wouldn't take it back - he really did love them both. Back in the very beginning, when Kikyou had just been returned, and he'd asked Miroku plaintively why he couldn't have them both - he'd now realized that that was truly how he felt. When he'd finally mated Kikyou, he'd known he loved her... but hadn't yet realized just how tied to Kagome he also was - until he'd sat in front of an ash-covered burial pyre and grieved desperately over a piece of green cloth. Part of him had died that day.
Then, he'd known.
Kikyou sat near the fire, thoughts on the mess she'd made of her life. Sure, mating Inuyasha had given her her life back - after all, even half of the Inu no Taisho's blood was extremely powerful, and she was glad for that - but the truth was, things hadn't turned out how she'd hoped. She really did love the hanyou, and hoped, once he'd finally mated her, that he'd put Kagome in her place, and then they could travel together, with her the winner in every way.
Unfortunately, Kagome had messed that up by dying. Spectacularly. Now, Inuyasha tells her that if Kagome were still alive, he'd want her as a mate, too. The only hope she would have, if the girl were still alive, was that Kagome would slap the hanyou and refuse such an insulting offer. That was by no means assured, however, since the girl loved him deeply, and everyone knew it.
And then there were the others in the group. It was obvious that they had adored Kagome - and equally as obvious that they did not care for her near as much. They tolerated her, nothing more. It made things fairly lonely, and awkward. It seemed that, in death, the younger miko had bound the group to her even tighter than they had been when she still lived. Kikyou sighed forlornly.
How ironic.
Sango and Miroku sat cuddled together on the other side of the fire, Shippo and Kirara curled up in their laps. Both were unhappy with the way things were now - this particular reality was extremely unpleasant. They desperately missed Kagome, and had a great deal of bitterness towards Inuyasha and his mate because of her death.
Neither of them were stupid - stupid people in this day and age didn't live for very long - and they could pretty much figure that Kagome had died defending herself from an attack that had come while the hanyou was off with Kikyou. In fact, they both privately suspected that he'd actually been busy screwing the woman when Kagome'd fought her desperate last battle, and it pained both of them beyond belief that she'd died alone, and probably heartbroken as well - they were sure she'd figured out where the hanyou was and why he hadn't come to protect her.
Knowing that, it wasn't hard to imagine that she'd ended up dying because the hurt had so overwhelmed her that she'd just given up, and not because she'd actually been defeated by the creature that'd done it. That was why they both found it almost a deserved fate that the two new mates were obviously not exactly happy. They weren't really sure what had happened between them, but whatever it was, was serious, and not just a minor spat. After all, it had been going on for months now - pretty much since the time Kagome had died.
As far as they were concerned, it was simple justice. They continued to travel together to defeat Naraku - and that was it. Once that was done, they had every intention of getting as far away from Kikyou as possible, and by extension, Inuyasha. It was too bad it had to end that way.
None of it had turned out the way they'd all thought it would.
At all.