InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Transformations ❯ Together At Last ( Chapter 44 )

Maybe not wrong reasons, he told himself, but they shouldn't be top priority.

"Think on it a night."

The words returned to him, encouraging him to go to sleep and see what could be sorted out in the morning. And, yawning, he did so.

And he could have sworn he heard Ashira laugh at him.

~*~ Kikyo ~*~

Letting out a sob at her predicament, she collapsed, crying harshly into her hands.

She was alone, cold, weak, unloved and unwanted. Nothing had ever burned her so greatly. And what made things worse, it was entirely her own fault. From the beginning she hadn't trusted Inuyasha enough to believe that he could be good to her, and in the end it damned her.

And the instant she was given a second chance at life, she attacked Inuyasha, lost nearly all of her soul, and died while remaining functional. She was a walking corpse made of clay and ash, useless and damned.

At the moment, all she could do was cry.

Forty Four - Forty four!!! Can you believe it?!

Sighing, Kagome sat up, holding her kimono to her chest. Still lying next to her, Inuyasha mumbled something into the grass, his left arm still draped over her waist. She smiled at him and shook his shoulder. "C'mon, Inuyasha," she said, biting back a yawn. "We have to get back. Anything could've happened while we were gone."

She glanced up at the sky as he mumbled something else and sat up unwillingly. The sun was directly overhead, and she had to admire her demon eyes. Normally any creature would wince while staring up into the sun, but it didn't bother her eyes at all. So much for "Never look directly into the sun during a solar eclipse".

"Something happened here last night," Inuyasha retorted. He grinned at her, a sparkle in his eyes she wasn't sure she liked. "Something that ended way too soon and requires more time to recharge than we're letting."

"There ya go with that grammar again," she told him, getting up and wrapping the kimono around her. "And since you can't be demon right now, I'm guessing that I was right all along and you're taking on my traits."

"Then you're taking on mine," Inuyasha said back, his voice next to her face.

"I can accept that," she retorted, not surprised at his nearness or the fact that he just seemed to appear there. Her retort thwarted his hopes of getting her pissed, and she knew it.

He let her take a step away before grasping her waist and bringing her back against his chest. "You're not worried you might end up being sat every five minutes?"

"Which reminds me," she began, and felt him wince. "You have ten seconds to put on your clothes," she said in a warning tone. She heard him scurry around as she counted in her head, and at ten she said, "Sit!"

When she turned she began laughing. Obviously, he wasn't quite done yet. Apparently he'd been trying to put both of his haoris on at once, and got his left arm halfway in. Now he was face-down on the dirt with his left arm at an odd angle and trapped in his sleeves.

She collapsed laughing. Inuyasha was grumbling angrily, and Kagome was still laughing when the spell wore off. In fact, she didn't even notice - that is, until Inuyasha had her trapped on the ground.

"That wasn't very nice," he growled out, an angry light changing his normally gold eyes a bright, vivid yellow. Kagome's laughter stopped there, and she found herself staring directly into those eyes.

Unable to help herself, she said the first thing that came to mind. "Are you going to punish me or just stare at me?"

He tilted his head as he thought about it. Those eyes of his were still so bright that she couldn't look away, and she beginning to think that she could see a solar system in his pupils. And then he grinned.

She knew that look. When she offered that he punish her, she'd been thinking that he'd torture her with kisses or caresses, or maybe just whisper things to her like he'd done before. But that look meant he was more playful than anything else, and since she was effectively trapped, there was no physical way she could stop him. . .

He tickled her.

Laughing like the ravishing villain, Inuyasha put his claws to work on her sides, giving her a reason to laugh hysterically. She was trying to babble out pleas and thwart him, but he knew and had known for some time that once he got his fingers in her ribs, she was helpless. She didn't even strike out in defense - she just sat there and laughed her face red.

And then Inuyasha was blinking confusedly, ten feet away from her, and on his back. He looked around, not smelling or seeing anything dangerous, before sitting up. His eyes landed on Kagome, who was still relaxing her breathing, and saw that her palms were smoking slightly. Wisps of clear, white smoke came from her fingertips as well, but there wasn't anything on her to prove that she'd been injured.

He looked down at himself and saw two black, burnt-on handprints on his haori. He laughed. Kagome finally got defensive during tickling sessions. It was about time, too. Although he didn't like the idea of not having something like prayer beads to hang over Kagome's head like she did for him, the loss of his ability to tickle her without injuries wasn't such a bad thing to lose.

After all, he never was ticklish.

"It's time to go back," he stated, getting up. He took Kagome's hand and pulled her up as he walked by, and then they were walking side-by-side back to their specially-built hut. Now that he was thinking on it, he realized that soon he'd have to build a home for them and the pups they'd inevitably have. With how lost they often got in each other's bodies, it was impossible to take precautions. Nonetheless, he'd have to be careful until they finished off Naraku. He wasn't letting Kagome fight a beetle while she was pregnant.

[DL: O.O Uh-oh! He doesn't know about the pups! Can we say, "angst"?]

~*~ Previous night, Sango ~*~

She didn't like sleeping so much anymore. She'd had much too much time resting, sleeping, and bedridden in the past few weeks to last the rest of the year. But her body was getting back on track, and was yelling for her to at the very least rest her eyes. So she did, closing her eyes and waiting for sleep.

She didn't know when she fell asleep, but she knew when she woke up. She heard the door to her room slide open and shut again, but it took a moment to regain her motor functions and see who it was. Surprisingly, her eyes met with the traditional robes of a monk. She sat up as Miroku sat down next to her.

"What are you doing?" she asked in a whisper, knowing that Miroku knew better than to sneak into her room at night hoping for a few good gropes.

"I have to speak with you," he replied, his voice no louder than hers.

"Now?" It was nearly unbelievable. Miroku not only came to her room, but came to her room knowing she'd be awake, and he came wanting to talk to her. Now wasn't the time or place, at least not in her mind.

"Yes, now." She was surprised when he took her hand in his good hand, and even more so at the wet feeling on his palm. Was he sweating?

"About what? What could you possibly think of to talk about at this time of night?" She tried to ignore his fingers, which tightened slightly at her questioning. And he was shaking - she hadn't noticed that before. He must be nervous, her mind supplied her. But that doesn't make sense. Miroku the lecherous monk does not get nervous.

"While we were trapped at Naraku's castle, and I thought I was going to die, I could only think of one thing," he was saying. "All the times in the past when I was sure I was going to die, I thought of the fact that I didn't have any heirs, or any family. But something else was on my mind, something I hadn't expected."

Why is he taking the long way around this? she wondered idly. And what is he getting at? It's something that has to do with me, or he wouldn't be - no. . . Her eyes widened as she began to get his point, before he could say it himself.

"I was thinking about you," he finally got out, and in the moonlight, she could catch the way his gaze wavered, as though he wanted to look away in shame. "I was thinking that maybe I could find a way to get you out of here, so you could have children and a family who loves you. And then, when we got back, I thought of it again and realized something." He took a deep breath and went on. "I love you."

Sango gasped her surprise, her open hand lifting to her mouth as she tried to think of a reply. But he was going on.

"I must have known it for some time, because lately - if you've noticed - I've found myself shying away from grabbing you like I usually would have done. I thought for some time that the Gods replaced my eyes, because every time I looked at you was like looking into the face of a goddess for the first time. Do you understand what I mean?"

I understand that you've practiced this, her mind said from somewhere outside her body. Her mouth said, "Yes. . ."

"Sango. . ." He paused for a breath. "Might I ask you something?"

"Of course," she said with a nod. I just don't know what I'll say.

"May I kiss you?"

Her breath caught in her throat. She wasn't quite expecting that, even though she knew it was coming. His words rang in her ears. . . "I love you. . . May I kiss you? . ." She found herself nodding. "Yes, Miroku."

Despite the fact that she agreed, and found herself leaning towards him, she still wasn't ready for the kiss. She felt as though she should have practiced this first. The whole scene felt like a dream, one she wished was real while wishing the dream wouldn't end.

His lips were soft and firm.

Her mind noticed that first. From somewhere across the galaxy, it began gathering other facts as well - I can still taste the soup on his lips. . . I never noticed how tender he can be. . .Am I dead? . . . His hand's on my back. . . His mouth's moist. . . I can feel the sweat on his forehead. . . He is shaking. . .

And then it ended, and although Miroku drew back, she didn't open her eyes for a few moments. And when she did, she was surprised to find that they were wet with tears. Her mind refused to function, leaving just one thought hanging there: I love him.

She told him so, feeling herself smile as he looked just as surprised as she had felt when he'd said it. Before she had a solid thought of what to say or do next, she lunged forward, wrapping her arms around his neck. Forget sleeping for tonight; she'd be up all night grinning like a love-struck toddler. She heard herself laugh out of pure joy, and felt Miroku's arms tighten around her.

She drew back to see his face, and what she saw took her breath away again. There was something in those eyes, in the way he was looking at her, that both made her feel like she should hold her head up proud and check to make sure her kimono was closed.

And then she felt him kiss her again, and this time her hands lifted to his head, threading into the softness of his hair and inadvertently pushing the clasp off. Holding back a smile, she tilted her chin up further and felt his hair with her fingers, to find out just how he had it cut.

It fell loose around his shoulders, and she could feel he had it layered. Nearly every strand of his hair were as long as his bangs, leaving a small amount longer than his shoulders and able to be pulled back into a low ponytail. Although, she thought, trying not to grin, if I actually said that out loud he might decide to cut it all short.

He left shortly thereafter, leaving Sango blushing and lightly touching her lips. Her eyes were wide and wet, and her lips felt almost swollen. She was shaking, just as Miroku had been minutes before. Although he said nothing after that second kiss, she knew what the future had in store.

She and he were going to be wed.

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Ahh, love between a rebellious woman and cursed man of the fifteenth century. . .how sweet it is.

Not nearly as sweet as two half-demons from five centuries apart though, right fellow Inu/Kag lovers?

Do you remember when I asked about angst? You do all know what that means, right? Heart-tearing, tear-jerking twists lie ahead!

Again, sorry about the loss of weapons, but as you all should know, I uploaded this and the previous chapter together, so I still have no ideas. And if my mind keeps running at its current speed - well, you'd know, cause there'd be another chapter after this. Is there? I don't know yet. Tell me. Please!

See ya! *Runs off to eat dinner and swirly Hershey's Kisses*