InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Night of the Moonflower Festival ❯ Chapter 1

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Author's Note: Obvious disclaimer, I don't own any rights to Inuyasha or any of the characters. They are the property of the glorious Rumiko Takahashi. Animation rights belong to ShoPro Entertainment and Sunrise. I'm just a poor college student with too much imagination and too much free time. This story is a bit out of character for Kagome, but I was watching the show on Cartoon Network, when Koga first shows up and Inuyasha is still being a little bitch and the thought struck me that maybe Kagome is better off with Koga. I always liked him better, though near the end of the series, it's pretty obvious that Koga and Kagome will probably never get together. *boo hoo* Anyways, enough of my prattle, story starts in 3....2....1......

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Kagome sat still on the pile of hay, hugging her knees to her chest. Despite the fact that Inuyasha had run off to see Kikyo for the thousandth time, she was smiling. She was having a lot of fun without Inuyasha, though at the current moment, there was a lull in the activities surrounding her. She didn't mind that. It gave her time to catch her breath and relax a bit before the main event later in the evening. Her mind turned to Inuyasha and the way their relationship had been lately. She wanted someone who thought only of her, and Inuyasha, while a great guy, was definitely not that guy. He flip flopped as much as a fish out of water.

She had considered going back to her time, but school was on break right now and all her friends were out of town on vacation. The only person who was still in town was Hojo, and Kagome didn't feel like dealing with him. His obliviousness to her lack of interest in him was getting unbearable. And her grandpa would probably make her work at the temple. So she had wandered around aimlessly in feudal Japan, as she was now apt to doing. Koga had found her sitting at the river near the village. She had been hanging out with Koga more and more as of late. Every time Inuyasha went to see Kikyo, she would find Koga waiting for her behind a tree or a rock. Sometimes he didn't even wait for Inuyasha to go off on one of his visits. He would take her to different places around the countryside, showing her the sights. It didn't surprise her when he turned up that night and asked her to join him and his tribe for a special festival not many humans were able to witness. She had agreed. It sounded like fun.

And here she was, sitting in Koga's sleeping area while the others chatted amongst themselves, waiting for the time of the blooming. Koga sat with her, entertaining her with stories of previous Moon Flower Festivals that had been passed down through his family. Kagome suspected that a few of them had been stretched beyond reality, but they were amusing none the less.

The other wolf demons had welcomed her heartily when she first arrived. None of them were surprised to see that Koga had brought her to the festival. They were always happy to see Sister Kagome. Koga's two best men always treated her like one of the family and even went out of their way to make sure she was comfortable. They allowed her to help in the food preparations, which was a lot of work, but also a lot of fun because so many of them were working on it. Ayame was there as well with her husband. Koga had told Kagome of her marriage a few months ago, but Kagome hadn't been able to congratulate Ayame yet.

“Ayame! It's been so long. How are you? I heard about your good news, congratulations,” Kagome said, greeting the female wolf demon warmly. Ayame beamed at Kagome.

“Hi Kagome! I'm doing ok. And which good news would that be, my marriage or the new skins I got?” she asked.

“Your marriage, of course.”

“Oh that. Well, he's no Koga, but Toko is really great. The elders chose him for me when it was decided that Koga and I were never going to marry. I was distressed at first, but once I was able to know him better, it wasn't so bad. Every day he does something new to show me how much he cares about me. He's really sweet,” Ayame giggled. “And he's not too bad in the sack.” Her cheeks blushed bright red as she said that.

“Ayame!” Kagome exclaimed, blushing and giggling as well. She was happy that Ayame wasn't pining away her life.

Koga watched everyone from the side. He was happy that he had found Kagome on this night. He had been searching for her for the past few days. He wanted her to go with him to the festival. The Moon Flower Festival was important to the wolf tribes. It only happened once every three to four generations. It was a rare event that few were able to witness, even among the wolf tribes. It was said that if a boy and girl watched the moon flowers bloom together, then they would fall in love and be together forever. Koga was hoping that if Kagome was with him when the flowers bloomed, that fate would come true for them.

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The full moon rose bright and beautifully in the night sky, blocking out all of the stars. Kagome was amazed. It looked so huge from where they stood on the wolf demons' mountain. Koga held Kagome's hand as they walked to the fields where the flowers grew. Many others were with them. Quite a few of his men had their lady friends or their families with them, but many of the demons walked alone. It wasn't a big surprise to Koga. Some were hoping to meet their fated person at the fields, while others were merely going to see the spectacle. Koga had done the latter plenty of times. The blooming was quite beautiful no matter what.

Kagome followed Koga. The field of the moon flowers was higher up on the mountain. They grew in the highest point, where they could be closest to the moon. The field was as huge as the concert arena near her home, and was so full with the plants, there wasn't really any place to sit among them. Everyone found places to sit on the rocky slope surrounding the field, which looked strangely like stadium seating. It reminded Kagome of the Greek amphitheaters she had learned about in school. The moon had almost reached its midpoint in the sky. She could see that many wolf tribes had gathered there, not just Koga's.

“Koga, tell me again when it will happen?” she asked in a whisper. The others were whispering to each other as well, and she could feel the sanctity of the area. Talking above a whisper right now would be a violation of that gentle aura.

“When the moon reaches its peak, it will be directly above the field. The flowers will soak up the lunar energy and open into a full bloom,” he whispered back. He squeezed her hand, reassuring her. She smiled at him, thoroughly enjoying her evening with the wolf tribe.

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It wasn't long before the moon reached its peak. Kagome's breath was taken away as the moon began to sparkle with a pink hue and rain moon dust onto the flowers, which glowed and soaked in the moon's energies.

The moon dust swirled around the flowers but also blew into the crowd to the delight of the females and the children. Koga was overwhelmed by the beauty and scent of the flowers. He looked over at Kagome. Moon dust had settled into her hair, giving her a heavenly glow. She turned to him, as overwhelmed as he by the event. He placed his arm over her shoulders, pulling her close and breathing in the sweet scent that was hers and hers alone. She leaned into him, her body molding to his. They watched until the moon finished its pass over the fields and the sparkle of the pink moon dust settled into the field. The field would keep that pink sheen for the next month, but that's not what was on Koga's mind.

“Kagome, wait here,” he said huskily. He, along with many other males, walked into the field and picked a single moon flower. He carried it carefully back and presented it to Kagome, as a souvenir of the night. She accepted it, examining it under the moonlight. The flower was made up of three layers of four petals. The first layer pink, the second layer magenta, and the third layer was purple. The colors made up a beautiful gradient and the moon dust accentuated the delicacy of the thin petals. She smiled. It was the most precious gift she had ever been given.

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Kagome walked back to the wolf den, her hand entwined with Koga's. She twirled her flower with her other hand, watching the moon dust glitter. The petals were still glowing gently. They walked silently among their chatty neighbors. Kagome still marveled over the sight she had seen. The entire event in the field had only been about forty-five minutes long, but she would always remember it. And it was thanks to Koga that she had been able to be there. He was always kind to her, always looking out for her, always trying to be there for her. He would always want her and no one else.

Unlike Inuyasha, who couldn't make up his mind on which incarnation he wanted to be with. She sighed inwardly. Her mind was in crisis, as it had been for weeks. She knew Koga wanted to be with her. He gave her security and stirred feelings in her that made her confused. Strong feelings. The festival had given her an opportunity to see the softer side of the wolf tribe and of Koga. She had liked what she had seen. She felt at home here, something she had previously only felt with Inuyasha. Was her relationship with Inuyasha really over? She knew in her head that it was. She knew she didn't feel the same feelings for Inuyasha she once had, but her heart was having trouble letting go. Her mind turned to Koga.

Koga's a great guy to fall for. He's handsome, strong, the leader of his tribe, and he knows what he wants, she thought. I don't want to think of him as a second choice, but...maybe he doesn't have to be. He loves me. Could I...love him, too? All these feelings inside me, only Inuyasha was able to invoke them before. But now...now I feel them when I'm with Koga. Is it truly love? In a sense, we have been kind of dating...it would be logical for me to develop feelings for him. But what about my love for Inuyasha? It's not there anymore, but...but... Oh, I don't know what to think!

Koga stopped suddenly. She looked up. She had been so lost in thought, she hadn't noticed that they had arrived at the den. She did noticed that a lot of the tribe stayed on the path that went past the den and into the forest, all couples. She gave a curious look at Koga. He smiled, blushing a little.

“They're just going off into the woods for some privacy. Don't mind them.”

Kagome blushed a little too. I guess their hearts (and libidos!) were moved by the festival as well. She blushed redder when she realized the double meaning of her thought. Thank goodness I didn't say that out loud! She followed him to his sleeping area. He sat down, relaxing slightly, then tensing up a bit when Kagome sat next to him.

“So now what?” she asked him. He fidgeted nervously. All he really wanted to do was bury himself in her scent, but he didn't want to be too bold. He could tell that she was lost in thought on the walk back. This was also the first time she would be staying the night in the den, so he was more nervous about how to act.

“Uh, are you sleepy? It's late, nearly midnight. You can sleep on my bed,” he said, referring to the hay. “I'll sleep nearby, in case you need anything.” He really wanted to stay with Kagome, but didn't think it would be appropriate. She was a true friend to the wolf tribe, but still just a visitor in the den. Until she was truly his, he didn't want to make a wrong move and scare her off for good. He had been lucky when he saw Inuyasha sneaking off to see his old flame, Kagome's previous incarnation. He had made a straight beeline to Kagome and after finding her bored out of her mind, he invited her to see a traveling group of entertainers. It was the first of many outings with her. He looked over at her. Is she...blushing? She's so cute when she blushes! he thought to himself.

“I am tired actually. But I don't mind if we share your bed,” she said, becoming beet red and unable to look him in the eye. He was stunned, but inside he was rejoicing.

He pulled out a blanket, woven from the fur of the mountain goats that roamed on the other side of the wolf tribes' area. The blanket was soft and warm, but not too heavy. Kagome snuggled under the blanket as Koga removed his armor and set it aside. He held her close again, her silky hair tickling his arm, but he didn't mind.

“Kagome...I...” he started to say, but she interrupted him.

“Koga, I..I'm not...I can't...,” she mumbled. He could feel her embarrassment radiating off of her.

Can she get any cuter? She must be scared I'm going to push her to leave Inuyasha. Truth be told, it IS what I want, but at her own pace, he thought as he hugged her tightly.

“It's ok, Kagome. I've waited for you this long, I can wait longer. If I know you want to stay with me forever, I'll wait until the world stops spinning, just to be with you.” He kissed her forehead. “You are worth that wait.”

Kagome nuzzled his chest. There were scars covering his body. Battle scars, she assumed. She traced the bigger ones with her index finger. The one on his right arm was the one she knew best. She had been there when he had received the wound. She had helped him and defended him that day. His strong arms held her, feeling like they had always been and would always be holding her. Anshin, this is anshin, she thought sleepily. That feeling of peace, security and love. It was a feeling she never wanted to be without.

This is my place. Right here, beside Koga. This is where I belong. This is where I will stay, she thought as she fell asleep in his warmth.